This invention pertains to an elevator mechanism designed to operate in combination with a distributor for particulate material such as a grain seeder. The elevator is adapted to be carried by the seeder. When it is to be used, the elevator hopper is lowered to a level where it can easily be filled with seed. Lowering the hopper raises the discharge end of the elevator above the seed bin on the seeder so that the seed can be readily moved from the hopper to the seed bin. When the seeder is in use or is being transported, the hopper is raised where it will be out of the way.
Seeders or grain drills have long been used to plant small grain crops such as oats, barley or wheat. The earliest drills were not large and had bins that could readily be loaded by hand. As the size of equipment used in agriculture has increased in size, the size of planting mechanism has also grown with the result that the seed bin has had to be raised to make room for the planting mechanism.
The raising of the bin has created problems in getting the grain conveniently into the seed bin. Shovelling the grain into the bin by hand is not only slow but tiring. Use of a separate piece of equipment such as a portable elevator is also slow requiring placement of the elevator at least once with each filling--and often requiring more locations than that to make reasonably sure of even distribution within the bin.
By the present invention, an elevating device is provided which is permanently placed, can be easily moved to provide even distribution in the seed bin, and can be moved out of the way for easy transport in the field and on the road.